Oct. 15, 2010
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EL PASO, TEXAS- Behind goals from Katie Dorman (44:35) and Skye Schultz (48:50) and a stifling performance on defense, UTEP cruised past Southern Miss, 2-0, on "Senior Night" in front of a rowdy 645 fans at University Field Friday evening.
The Miners (10-5-0, 3-4-0 C-USA) dominated all facets of the match. They outshot the Golden Eagles (3-10-2, 0-6-1 C-USA), 24-5, including a 12-1 advantage for shots on goal. Additionally, UTEP took eight corner kicks while limiting the visitors to just two.
"That was huge to get the win," UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. "We played really good soccer. The crowd was tremendous. It gave us a huge boost."
The Miners were energized early on, generating a couple of great scoring chances within the first 10 minutes of the match. Off a corner kick senior Anoop Josan lobbed a ball to Tess Hall, whose header screamed in on net. It bested USM goalkeeper Hannah Vanderboegh only to cruelly clank off the post at 3:12.
Five minutes later a solid sequence of passes led to a clean look on target for Brittany Kindzierski. The sophomore laced a shot which seemed destined for the back of the net, but it was saved off the line by a Southern Miss defender.
Undeterred, the Orange and Blue continued to pressure with the field seemingly tilted toward the USM net. The Miners possessed and dictated the tempo of attack, which resulted in a player being dragged down in the box by a Golden Eagle play.
The center official was on top of the play, and correctly awarded the home side a penalty kick. Schultz blasted the shot on the ensuing PK but in a bit of misfortune the ball ricocheted off the crossbar at 14:35.
Despite the unlucky sequences, UTEP played with poise and passion as the half wore on. Freshman Tori Martyn redirected a header on net but Vanderboegh was able to snatch it out of the air at 22:56. Hall laced a shot on target which was corralled by the USM netminder at 36:14.
With the Golden Eagles on their heels, the Miners dialed up their intensity in an effort to get on the board. Freshman Gina Soto had a shot saved by the USM GK at 38:43, Maggie Schaffer was denied by Vanderboegh at 39:58 while Jade Babcock was turned away at 42:37.
Even with the abundance of chances, it appeared as if the Miners would have to settle for being all square with Southern Miss at the half. Dorman had other intentions, though, winning a 50/50 ball and then making a good run to create some space to work with.
The El Paso native then rocketed the shot which blistered into the back of the net to put the home side up, 1-0, with 25 seconds left in the period.
The Miners carried the momentum of dominating first period into the second stanza, quickly pushing their lead out to 2-0. Kindzierski crossed the ball toward the far post, where Schultz had inside position to coerce the ball into the back of the net at 48:50.
The Miners put on a clinic in terms of how to play with a lead down the stretch. UTEP tantalized USM with a dazzling array of dribbling and passing, all while the clock ticked away.
Miner netminder Chandra Morden was called upon for the first time of the tilt with 10 minutes to play in the period. A bouncing ball led to a partial breakaway for USM's Chanel Elgin. Morden aggressively came off her line to close down the angle, which allowed her to gobble up the shot.
Southern Miss could not muster any other chances down the stretch, with UTEP closing out the contest in style.
The Miners will be back in action when they face UCF in their home finale at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
